Demons Don’t Dream (30 page)

"But how will we breathe?" Nada asked.

"There'll be air in the top half of the tunnel. Just keep your head up. And hang on; we have to stay right here in the center."

The two merfolk applied themselves to the hatches. They turned the plates, unscrewing them, Kim grabbed one of the handholds set in the wall with one hand, and caught Bubbles' collar with the other. Nada curled her tail into another handhold.

Cyrus' portal opened. Water blasted in at high pressure, deflected by the cover, which seemed to be anchored from below by the screw in its center. He hung on to that cover, holding it steady so that the water sprayed out in a rough circle.

Merci's portal opened. Water blasted hi from above, similarly deflected. She hung on to that anchored cover, so that her water also made a circle.

For good or ill,  Kim's plan was now in effect

The surging waters merged on either side, coursing down the tunnel. The water was cool but not unbearably cold. The currents swept into the goblins, fore and aft, shoving them back. They were too surprised even to swear effectively. Suddenly they were fighting for their footing— and their lives, because they were not anchored.

The waters quickly filled the tunnel, pushing violently outward. But a level of air remained trapped at the top, having nowhere to go. Kim held Bubbles up so she could breathe it, while breathing it herself. Nada's face was close to hers, and she did the same. The best place to be was in the center, where there was no unified current, just the chaotic backsurge.

Soon the goblins were gone. They had been swept out in both directions, helplessly. Where they went Kim didn't care; they hardly deserved any good breaks.

"Close hatches!" Kim cried.

The merfolk turned the disks the other way, screwing them back into their niches. It was hard work, but they had leverage. They got them closed, and the spraying water was cut off. The roar of it subsided, and the currents calmed.

Nada's human head glanced around. "That was well wrought, Kim,” she said. "You won the challenge. I didn't think you would figure it out in time."

"It was a close call,” Kim admitted. "If Bubbles hadn't called my attention to the second portal, I don't think I would have seen the answer.” She kissed the dog's wet ear, and Bubbles wagged her tail as well as she could in the water.

"Now, let me see," Nada said “I can slosh through water and hold on better in human form. We're all females here except Cyrus, and he's a merman, who has no concern about nakedness as long as he is in his natural form."

"True," Cyrus agreed. "I do not wish to offend, but my interest in creatures without tails is small."

"So I will change." Nada became human, a splendid figure of a bare woman. "In any event, it is all right, because I'm not wearing panties at the moment. Now I believe I can find the way out, by following the old naga signals." She started half walking, half swimming along the flooded tunnel.

Cyrus looked at Merci. “Now, there's what I call an interesting creature," he said. "From head to tail."

Merci returned his look with similar candor. "I feel the same."

Then the little light flashed over  Kim's head. "You're both in the same water—and not having trouble!'*

Both merfolk were startled. "How can that be?" Cyrus asked "I can't stand salt"

"And I can't stand fresh," Merci said. "This water is brackish, which makes it uncomfortable, but I can stand it"

"I agree," he said “I can stand brackish water, though it is not my delight"

"The salt and fresh water mixed," Kim said. "So it's all brackish now. Half and half. Now the twain can meet."

“The twain can meet," Merci said, approaching Cyrus. "Maybe we can make it, in this water." She put her arms around him.

"Maybe we can," he agreed, kissing her. Several little red hearts appeared, floating around them. Their tails twined together.

Nada turned back. "Don't make it here! Wait for the nuptials."

The kiss broke and me hearts faded. "Of course," Merci said, blushing.

"Certainly," Cyrus agreed, embarrassed. "The proprieties must be observed."

"Too much was already being observed," Nada remarked.

Kim was privately slightly vexed. She knew that part of the propriety related to her: they considered her at age sixteen to be a borderline case, and were careful to honor the Adult Conspiracy. She had been curious about just how merfolk did make it. Still, it was nice that the merfolk had discovered how to relate to each other.

She set her face forward and followed Nada. There was no sign of the goblins, who must have been washed right out of the tunnels, perhaps to some lower level where they were trying to figure out what happened.

The water slowly sank, so that it was waist deep, then knee deep. The tunnel widened, and more cross-tunnels appeared, all similarly flooded. There was a sound of falling water, suggesting that there was indeed a drain somewhere. The tunnel would be dry again in due course. They needed to get out of it before that happened, because it was only the water that kept the goblins out

Nada led them to another spiral, this one going up. The water was left behind. That was a relief for Bubbles, who definitely preferred land to water. The two merfolk had to change to legs and don clothing from Kim's pack, while the others turned their backs. Finally they climbed out through a hole.

They were on the south side of me Gap Chasm. And there on the beach was a small wooden boat. "Merci could have brought that across to us, if we had only known it was there," Kim said, chagrined.

"Why, so I could have," Merci agreed, surprised. "I have known about that boat for ages."

Kim almost inquired why Merci hadn't told her about the boat, but she knew the answer: she hadn't asked. This was the game, where the Player had to figure things out. Kim had inquired about a passage, and Merci had answered. Kim had not asked about a boat. A raft, yes, but not a boat. She had missed the obvious.

"Well, Nada and Bubbles and I have to be on our way," Kim said. "I guess you'll want to stay here, Cyrus, with Merci. When you want to get together with her, all you have to do is find a place where a river meets the sea and the water mixes, or maybe there's a freshwater spring under the sea where there can be a similar effect I'm sure you'll figure it out"

"I am sure we will," Cyrus agreed. "I thank you, Kim Mundane, for bringing me here. You have indeed solved my problem."

"And mine," Merci agreed. She turned to Cyrus. "I know where there is a freshwater spring by the shore. I would love to show you more tail."

"I am eager to see it" he said. They kissed again, then waved farewell and walked eagerly down along the beach, arms around waists.

"So the adventure resumes," Kim said, with mixed feelings. She was glad for the merfolk, but also envious of their happiness. She knew that she faced a horrendous trek though the jungle, where she might encounter anything at all. It was the nature of the game.

***

Dug blinked in the bright light as they emerged from the vole hole. Sure enough, there was solid jungle all around.

He turned to Jenny. "Now this is the game," he said. "And I understand we're somewhere near the lair of Com-Pewter, the evil machine. And that I have to settle with him before I can get much farther. So do you know of a fairly direct, safe path there? I want to get this over with."

Sammy jumped down and scampered along a faint path that seemed to appear only after the cat found it. "Wait for me!" Jenny cried, chasing after him.

"There's a path," Sherlock agreed. "But are you ready for the machine? I understand those things can really mess up folk who don't know how to handle them."

"For sure! Maybe I need to think about this a little more."

"Sammy, stop!" Jenny cried. "He's changed his mind!"

The cat stopped, losing interest in the path. The others caught up to him. The path where the cat had been was clear, but ahead there seemed to be nothing but brambles, briers, and branches.

"Maybe a slightly indirect route," Dug said, smiling. “Maybe passing a place where there is something I need."

Sammy resumed motion. This time his pace was slower, so that they could keep up, and it curved more. But the oddity of the path remained: there didn't seem to be any until the cat found it.

They came to a large field filled with weird plants. "There's something here you need?" Sherlock inquired with a lifted eyebrow.

"There's sure to be," Dug said. "So I'll just start looking for it"

"If you tell Sammy exactly what it is, he'll find it for you," Jenny said.

“I don't know exactly what it is but I hope to know it when I see it," Dug said. "Why don't the two of you get some rest while I look? This may take a while."

Both Jenny and Sherlock looked perplexed, but Sammy didn't In fact, Sammy elected to join him in the search.

Dug stepped into the field. He saw that the assorted plants were in rows, and each had a little sign identifying it That ought to help!

The first plant he looked at had a number of light cones, each looking suitable for ice cream. Or, as it was in Xanth, eye scream. Sure enough, it was labeled CONEFLOWER. But that wasn't what he needed.

As he squatted to look at the next he developed an itch in an awkward place. He straightened up and faced away from the others, so as to be able to scratch it inconspicuously, but the itch had gone. So he squatted again—and the itch returned. The closer he leaned toward the plant, the worse it got, making him fidget something awful. Then he saw the sign, and understood: COCKLEBUR.

As he moved toward the next, which seemed to be a clump of grass, something chafed in his trouser leg. He looked down and saw a number of long arrow-shaped thorns in it. He pulled these out, carefully, and resumed motion—only to have more strike him. He looked at the sign. No wonder! This was arrowgrass.

Then his clothing seemed to get tight around the joints. Suspecting the next plant, he squinted to see its sign from a distance. Sure enough, it said BINDWEED. Next to it was a KNOTWEED, which he avoided.

Now he came to a nicer section, passing BUTTER-WEED, MILKWEED, and CANDYTUFT. Those would do with a meal, if there weren't enough from other sources.

Then he encountered a more awkward section, spying LOVEGRASS, VIRGIN'S BOWER, BRIDAL WREATH, and MATRIMONY VINE. Near those was a TWIN-FLOWER. Obviously this was what a woman needed if she wanted to reproduce more rapidly. Just send such a flower to the stork depot, to let the stork know how many to deliver.

The next section was animalistic. There was a CATTAIL, KITTENTAIL, PUSSYTOES, DRAGONHEAD, HOUND'S TONGUE, and SQUIRRELTAIL. Then full creatures: BEE PLANT, BUTTERFLY WEED, CHICK-WEED, DUCKWEED, GOAT GRASS, MONKEY FLOWER, and OYSTER PLANT. But none of them were what he needed.

Then there were assorted sewing plants: PINCUSHION, NEEDLE AND THREAD, THIMBLE
BERRY
, LEATHER FLOWER, and HEMLOCK. That last was evidently what women wearing long skirts used to prevent the hems from unraveling so that they stepped on them. There was a warning: it shouldn't be taken internally, lest it lock up the innards.

The next section had an emaciated SKELETON WEED, a bright SHOOTING STAR, a WALLFLOWER, and a PAINTBRUSH slopping a new color on it.

Then came some seed plants: STICKSEED, TICK-SEED, and BUGSEED. Sammy was inspecting the last closely. "Yes," Dug murmured, harvesting some of its seeds. "That may be what I want" He put the seeds in his pocket and went on, because he did not want to draw attention to the nature of exactly what he wanted.

Then he came to an ugly section: CHEATGRASS, POVERTY WEED, SNEEZEWEED, TUMBLEGRASS, and CHOKE CHERRY. He managed to sneak past those without suffering too many afflictions.

But what followed was worse: a patch of STINK-WEED. He had had enough trouble with the stink horn to know the danger of this, so he intelligently moved right on to the SMARTWEED and then wisely to SAGEBRUSH.

The last plant in the row was labeled CRYPTO-GRAMMA. This was very puzzling; he just couldn't figure it out, so he left it alone. It was also called ROCK BRAKE, but he couldn't tell whether it stopped big rolling stones or broke them up into pebbles.

He walked back along the second row. There were endless wonders there, but he paid them less attention, because he already had what he had come for. Then he saw a group of MONIAS: old, middle-aged, young, and new. This might be even better! So he took a New Monia flower and set it in a buttonhole.

He returned to the others. "Did you find what you wanted?" Sherlock inquired.

Dug coughed. "I think so."

"You okay, man? Sounds as if you have some congestion."

"I'll be all right," Dug said, trying not to hack. He hadn't realized that the flower would take effect so quickly. But of course things could be instant, in this magic land. He would just have to suffer through.

Sherlock and Jenny had fixed a good meal, but Dug did not have much appetite. He felt feverish and weak, and his breathing was getting difficult. But he pretended to be normal. He had a reason.

They finished eating and moved on, following the leisurely paths Sammy found. Dug had to struggle to keep moving. "Listen, there's something wrong," Sherlock said. "Ever since you looked through that garden patch, you've been stumbling as if you're sick. What happened in there?”